Best Of

Popular Topics

The Magazine

Let us take you on a journey of the world. Each issue of the Gear Patrol Magazine comes packed with adventures, guides and stories exclusive to the magazine. Stunningly designed, printed on high quality stock and ready for your coffee table. Subscribers received 15% off the GEAR PATROL STORE. Biannual. $35.

The Newsletter

Get GEAR PATROL in your inbox with the DISPATCH, including Today in Gear and all our new stories. Daily, 5pm. Free.

This Hot Rod Vintage Land Cruiser Is What Dreams Are Made Of

For many, a custom Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser is a dream car. For the owner who commissioned this fantastically orange overlander, it’s a dream come true. According to the FJ Company, “This FJ40 project represents the fulfillment of two dreams — a father who passed on his knowledge and passion for classic cars, and a son who brought his father’s legacy full circle with the commission and design of this very personal custom build.”

Following the full frame-off restoration, the FJ Company worked with the client to pick out details and add-ons from across all generations of Land Cruisers. It’s not just an incredibly unique look, an extremely personal one as well. Though the main inspiration came from the world of hot rods and a toy Tonka truck the owner had as a child, this FJ40 came to the FJ Company without its original engine — basically as a blank slate, a chance to go wild.

Hot rod–inspired paint, Mickey Thompson wheels, Cooper Discoverer A/T3 tires, Raptor bed liner, a marine-grade audio system, Vintage Air A/C, heated Corbeau sport seats, a body-colored jerry can and a bottle opener on the front bumper (a nice little Easter egg) come together to make one hell of a daily driver. When you close your eyes at night, this is the FJ40 you dream of.

Over the past several months, Gear Patrol’s Editor-in-Chief Eric Yang has worked with the fine folks at The FJ Company to coordinate style, design and performance details for this unique FJ40 that capture an essence of Gear Patrol. No detail was ignored. Read the Story